VSFTPD¹⁾ means "very secure ftp server", Devil-Linux²⁾ was a hardened linux distribution for firewalls and servers with security in mind, it was run from CD, keept its configuration on floppy or otherwise write-protectable media and didn't need a hard drive - if large storage capacity is not needed.

Devil-Linux is discontinued since 2017, but the vsftpd part might still work on an other linux distribution.

The ftp server in our case should follow following requirements:

• large up- and download capacity
• with a relative small number of known external users via Internet
• anonymous access is not necessary ³⁾
• secure as possible
  • virtual users
  • change-rooted
  • separate file system
  • local users should *not* use ftp (but sftp)
• easy to maintain
• a basic log: why and for whom which ftp user was created

This is a configuration example with virtual users. Virtual users are only known by the ftp program, we try to rule out other possibilities of doing harm with user name + password⁴⁾.

Transferred data is quite large in this case, that's why we use the hard disk as storage.

We used:

1. the ftp-server: a computer with CD-drive, floppy-drive and hard disk
2. devil-linux 1.2.9 CD
3. an other (unixoid) computer for creating pw-database with db_load⁵⁾. Any normal Linux-Distro probably will do

• create a normal devil-linux installation (burn CD, boot from CD, configure with setup, create floppy with proper network settings) ⁶⁾
• put your ssh-key ⁷⁾ to the devil linux root users /root/.ssh/authorized_keys
• create partitions or logical volumes on your hard disk ⁸⁾

my ftp-servers /etc/fstab

# location              mount point     fs-type         options
/dev/fd0                /floppy         auto            noauto          0 0
/dev/data/home          /home           ext3            auto            1 2
/dev/data/mountpoint    /opt            ext2            auto            1 2
/dev/data/log           /opt/data/log   ext3            auto            1 2
/dev/data/ftp           /opt/data/ftp   ext3            auto            1 2

Mount /home and /opt, create mount points /opt/data/log and /opt/data/ftp, and mount all.

Hint: Mount points outside of the devil-linux scheme won't survive a reboot, if they don't live on a hard disk.

We just create one real unix user "virtual", which does the ftp service for all virtual users.

create this groups ( /etc/group )

ftp:x:40:vsftpd
ftpvirtual:x:613:

and this users ( /etc/passwd )

vsftpd:x:41:40:nopriv user for ftp:/var/empty:/bin/false
virtual:x:1000:613:used for all virtual ftp users:/opt/data/ftp/virtual/$USER:/bin/false

The trick is the string $USER in the home directory of the user virtual. Each virtual user will get its own home directory below the virtual user home directory.

The ftp-server config file /etc/vsftpd.conf

### tcp/ip
listen=yes
background=YES

pasv_min_port=30000
pasv_max_port=30999

connect_from_port_20=YES
idle_session_timeout=600
data_connection_timeout=120

#### log
xferlog_enable=YES
vsftpd_log_file=/opt/data/log/vsftpd.log

# enable only for debugging (large log file ...)
#log_ftp_protocol=YES

### users for privilege separation
### and for virtual users
nopriv_user=vsftpd
pam_service_name=vsftpd
guest_username=virtual
user_sub_token=$USER

### user privileges
anonymous_enable=NO
local_enable=YES
write_enable=YES
anon_upload_enable=YES
anon_mkdir_write_enable=YES
anon_other_write_enable=YES
chroot_local_user=YES
guest_enable=YES

ls_recurse_enable=YES

local_umask=002
anon_umask=000
dirmessage_enable=YES

### security settings
secure_chroot_dir=/var/empty
check_shell=NO

### misc

ftpd_banner=Welcome to the XYZ FTP service.
# banner_file=/etc/vsftpd.banner

local_umask=002
anon_umask=002
dirmessage_enable=YES

#not working ??
#text_userdb_names=YES
# alternative:
hide_ids=YES

/etc/pam.d/vsftpd

auth required /lib/security/pam_userdb.so db=/etc/vsftpd_login
account required /lib/security/pam_userdb.so db=/etc/vsftpd_login

• first switch on auto startup: insserv -d vsftpd
• start server /etc/init.d/vsftpd start

Our virtual users live only in vsftpd, have no entry in /etc/passwd but their own user database. The creation of this user database happens on an other machine with this small script and the tool db_load.

#!/bin/bash
 
# ftpuseradd
 
# ftp user generator for ftp server ftp.xxx.yy
# (runs with vsftpd)
 
# create userdb for virtual ftp users,
# transfer it to the ftp server
# create homedir for these users on the remote ftp server
 
 
FTPSRV=name.or.ip.of.your.ftp.server.xx
 
# these paths are local on *this* machine
# -> here we save the user list locally
# (since the passwords are clear text, one should protect this directory
# e.g.  don't keep it in a NFS directory)
PATH=/etc/vsftpd               # local path - use something reasonable for your side
USERFILE=ftp.vsftpd_login.txt
USERDB=ftp.vsftpd_login.db
LOG=ftp.userlog                # sort of log: which users for which project
 
 
# that's where the user-database is moved to on the ftp server:
USERDB="/etc/vsftpd_login.db"
FTPDIR="/opt/data/ftp/virtual/"
# this is the real ftp user, we create virtual ftp users
# which all work with this user id ..
FTPUSER="virtual"
FTPGROUP="ftpvirtual"
 
# command to create the berkley db userdatabase
DB=/usr/bin/db_load
DBCREATE="$DB -T -t hash -f $PATH/$USERFILE $PATH/$USERDB"
 
# transport method: ssh and necessary ssh-key
# (the matching public key should be on the ftp server in
#  roots .ssh/authorized_keys)
SSH=/usr/bin/ssh
SCP=/usr/bin/scp
SSHID=/home/myuser/.ssh/id_dsa.dmz
 
TIME=`/bin/date +%F--%H%M`
 
GREP=/usr/bin/grep
 
# first: save old files
/bin/cp $PATH/$USERFILE $PATH/$USERFILE.$TIME
 
# query for user name
 
echo "Please enter name and Password of the new ftp user name"
echo -n "Username: "
read USERNAME
 
# exit, if we have this user already
if [ `$GREP "^$USERNAME$" $PATH/$USERFILE` ]; then
echo "FTP-User $USERNAME already configured? Found entry in $PATH/$USERFILE"
exit 1
fi
## small bug: if we have a password, which is the same name as the new user,
## this won't work
 
# query for password and contact info
echo -n "Password: "
read PASSWORD
echo "Who is the local contact for this ftp user (remote contact, project, remarks)?"
echo -n "Contact:  "
read CONTACTINFO
 
# put the queried values to the log-file and to the user+pw textfile
echo "$USERNAME:$PASSWORD:$TIME:$CONTACTINFO" >> $PATH/$LOG
 
echo $USERNAME >> $PATH/$USERFILE
echo $PASSWORD >> $PATH/$USERFILE
 
# create the binary (berkley-db) user database from the user+pw  textfile
$DBCREATE
 
# transfer user database to server
echo "transfer new user-database to server $SERVER"
$SCP -i $SSHID $PATH/$USERDB root@$FTPSRV:/$USERDB
 
# create a home directory for the ftp user
# + add a textfile text.txt
#   ->for debugging: "can you see +download test.txt?"
echo "create home directory on $FTPSRV for ftp-user $USERNAME"
$SSH $FTPSRV -i $SSHID "/bin/mkdir -p $FTPDIR/$USERNAME"
 
$SSH $FTPSRV -i $SSHID "/usr/bin/ex -s $FTPDIR/$USERNAME/test.txt << _eof_
a
 
Welcome on our ftp-server, $USERNAME
 
This life is a test.  It is only a test.  Had this been an actual life
you would have received further instructions as to what to do and where to go
 
.
w
_eof_
"
# set ownership of directory + files
$SSH $FTPSRV -i $SSHID "/bin/chown -R $FTPUSER:$FTPGROUP $FTPDIR/$USERNAME"
$SSH $FTPSRV -i $SSHID "/bin/chmod g+w -R  $FTPDIR/$USERNAME"
$SSH $FTPSRV -i $SSHID "/bin/chmod g+s $FTPDIR/$USERNAME"
 
 
echo "if there were no error messages, the user was probably created"
echo "please check the user homedir $FTPDIR on $FTPSRV "
echo "and DONT FORGET: save-config !!!"
 
# the end

create a new ftp-user with ./ftpuseradd and answer the questions - take a critical look at the output and check on the ftp-server the existence of the user-directory and the time of the ftp-password-database.

connect with the ftp-program of your choice to your new ftp server and try to show the directory (you should see the created test.txt), up- and download a file ..

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